A Two-Year Bible Reading Plan

Transcription

1 A Two-Year Bible Reading Plan Stephen Witmer

2 Stephen Witmer (PhD, University of Cambridge) is pastor of Pepperell Christian Fellowship in Massachusetts and teaches at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. This article is an excerpt from his new book Eternity Changes Everything: How to Live Now in the Light of Your Future (The Good Book Company, 2014). Follow Stephen on

3 Two-Year Bible Reading A PLAN FOR STEADY PROGRESS IN READING GOD S WORD STEPHEN WITMER 2010 On December 30, 1842, a 29-year-old Scottish pastor named Robert Murray M Cheyne wrote a letter to his congregation. He said: MY DEAR FLOCK, The approach of another year stirs up within me new desires for your salvation, and for the growth of those of you who are saved. God is my record how greatly I long after you all in the [affections] of Jesus Christ. What the coming year is to bring forth, who can tell? Those believers will stand firmest who have no dependence upon self or upon creatures, but upon Jehovah our Righteousness. We must be driven more to our Bibles, and to the mercy-seat, if we are to stand in the evil day. Then we shall be able to say like David, The proud have had me greatly in derision, yet have I not declined from thy law. Princes have persecuted me without a cause, but my heart standeth in awe of thy Word. It has long been in my mind to prepare a scheme of Scripture reading, in which as many as were made willing by God might agree, so that the whole Bible might be read once by you in the year, and all might be feeding in the same portion of the green pasture at the same time. I regularly feel these same stirrings in my heart for my own congregation. So a couple years ago, I gave the people of Pepperell Christian Fellowship a two-year Bible reading plan and invited the whole church to read through the Bible together, with all of us feeding in the same portion of the green pasture at the same time. The fruit over these last couple years has been immense. We ve enjoyed many conversations about the Bible that we would never otherwise have had. People who had never read the whole Bible have done so for the first time. We ve come together around the Word. I am aware of the drawbacks of Bible-reading plans, but I think the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. M Cheyne agreed. After writing the above paragraph, M Cheyne went on to discuss both the dangers and the advantages of giving a Bible-reading plan to

4 2 TWO-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN his congregation. The dangers he mentioned were formality (in which Bible-reading degenerates into a lifeless duty); self-righteousness (we pat ourselves on the back for doing the daily reading and ticking the box); careless reading (we read fast to get it done and don t tremble at the Word of God); and having the Bible-reading plan become a yoke too heavy to bear. M Cheyne counseled those for whom the plan had become a heavy yoke to throw aside the fetter and feed at liberty in the sweet garden of God. My desire is not to cast a snare upon you, but to be a helper of your joy. After noting the dangers of a reading plan, M Cheyne went on to list the many advantages. These included the reading of the entire Bible in an orderly manner over the course of a year; no wasting of time deciding what portion of Scripture to read each day; improved spiritual conversations between parents and children and between friends when each member of a family or circle of friends is individually reading the same portions of Scripture; a greater opportunity for pastors to reference passages of the Bible in their praying and preaching and individual conversation with church members who have just read those same passages; the strengthened bond of Christian love and unity among Christians who are reading the Scriptures together. In the years since 1842, M Cheyne s Bible-reading plan has become one of the mostused in the world. Modified Plan It is an incredible privilege to read through all of God s Word. The first time I ever read right through the Bible, I was a teenager. I used a read-through-the-bible-in-a-year program my grandmother gave me, and took two years to complete it. This program involved reading a section of the Old Testament, a section of the New Testament, and either a Psalm or some verses from Proverbs. The second time I read straight through the Bible was while I was a seminary student, this time using M Cheyne s plan. Later, while doing further graduate study, I read through the Bible again, not using any plan, but simply beginning at Genesis and reading straight through to Revelation. I ve found several weaknesses in many Bible-reading plans: The plans that guide you through the whole Bible in a year sometimes require so much reading each day that you don t have sufficient time to reflect and pray about what you re reading you re scrambling just to keep up with the rigorous pace. M Cheyne identified this danger: Some, by having so large a portion, may be tempted to weary of it, as Israel did of the daily manna. M Cheyne s plan, and most others I have seen, have you read from three or four different sections of the Bible each day; for instance, on June 11 in M Cheyne s plan, you will read Deut 16, Ps 103, Isa 43, and Rev 13. The next day you will read Deut 17, Ps 104, Isa 44, and Rev 14. I find it difficult to really understand a book of the Bible when

5 Stephen Witmer 3 you re only reading a chapter at a time, and reading a bunch of other books alongside it at the same time. This isn t how we usually read other books, is it? You don t read three novels at once, a chapter of each novel per day. That would be too confusing. Most plans I have seen divide up the daily readings according to chapter divisions. That is okay some of the time. But not all of the time. None of the books of the Bible originally had chapters. Our modern chapter divisions come from Stephen Langton, the archbishop of Canterbury, who invented them in Langton was not inspired when he set the modern chapter divisions, so Bible reading plans that divide up readings by chapter rather than by logical units of thought can sometimes be quite unhelpful. The Bible reading plan I gave my church tries to avoid these weaknesses: 1. On this plan, you read through all of the Old Testament and New Testament in two years rather than one year, and you read through the Psalms and Proverbs four times in those two years. In my opinion, it is better to read the whole Bible through carefully one time in two years than hastily in one year. Throughout this Bible-reading plan, there are catch-up days to help you get back on track if you ve fallen off the pace. 2. On this plan, you read one book of the Bible at a time (plus a reading from the Psalms or Proverbs each day). This will hopefully allow you to get a clearer sense of the overall structure and message and contribution of each of the 66 books of the Bible. 3. On this plan, you read according to the logical units of Scripture. Sometimes those logical units will match up with our modern chapter divisions, and sometimes not. Perhaps the most helpful feature of this Bible-reading plan is that it is geared to Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart s book, How to Read the Bible Book by Book (Zondervan 2002). I have benefited a great deal from this book, because it is basically a guided tour of the whole Bible. Fee and Stuart have a brief introduction and overview for each book of the Bible, plus an analysis of the logical and/or narrative flow of each book. You will benefit the most from this Biblereading plan if you read it together with Fee and Stuart s book. Each morning (or evening, or whenever you have your daily time with God) simply read the passages that have been assigned for that day. If possible, read the brief comments on those passages in How to Read the Bible Book by Book. You can use the catch-up days to get back on top of your reading if you have fallen behind. But ideally, you ll be caught up already and you can instead use these days to read the introductory section in Fee and Stuart s book for the new book of the Bible you re about to begin reading. You will notice that for some days the readings are a bit longer and for some days they are quite short. For instance, the Old Testament reading for January 4 is Genesis 6:9-9:29, while the reading for January 6 is Genesis 11: If you look at Genesis

6 4 TWO-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN 11:10-26, you may wonder why that has been chosen as a reading it is nothing more than a listing of Shem s descendants. If you re reading How to Read the Bible Book by Book together with this Bible reading plan, you will see why these two readings have been chosen. They follow the way Moses has organized the book of Genesis. He has organized it around a phrase that occurs ten times: This is the account of... If you look at the two readings above, you ll see that they both begin with this phrase. The readings have been chosen in order to help you to see clearly for yourself how Moses has chosen to structure the book of Genesis. Moses didn t include our modern chapter divisions, and it is important to see how he ordered the book. Seven Tips For the Two-Year Journey 1. If at all possible, read through the Bible using this plan together with other people. The fruit of reading through the Bible together as a church over the last couple years has been immense. 2. There will be some passages that you find boring and difficult. Remember 2 Timo - thy 3:16-17 as you read these passages: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be equipped for every good work. Ask yourself why God breathed out this particular passage, and how it is profitable for you. 3. Do the whole reading for each day, but look for a best thought for each day something you can meditate on throughout the rest of the day, perhaps a verse you can memorize, something that is particularly memorable. This way, you are left with more than a vague feeling of what you read in the morning. 4. As you come to the Word each morning, ask God to open your eyes to its splendor. Psalm 119:18: Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. Psalm 119:36: Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Psalm 90:14: Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 5. Let your prayers for others emerge out of what you read. Don t choose between praying and reading Scripture do both! After you read a passage, pray that passage for yourself and for those you love. 6. Some readings will be longer and others will be shorter. Take advantage of the shorter readings. Read them more carefully and meditatively. Don t just read; reflect, ask questions, pray for answers, engage. In Psalm 119:48, the psalmist says that he meditates on the Lord s statutes. 7. Look for ways in which you can practically live out what you re reading. James 1:22: But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

7 Stephen Witmer 5 The following Bible reading plan is designed to take you through the Old and New Testaments in two years, and through the Psalms and Proverbs four times during that period. This plan is based on the book by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible Book by Book this plan together with Fee and Stuart s book. Jan 1 Gn Ps 1 Feb 6 Exod Ps 37 Jan 2 Gn Ps 2 Feb 7 Exod Ps 38 Jan 3 Gn Ps 3 Feb 8 Exod Ps 39 Jan 4 Gn Ps 4 Feb 9 Exod Ps 40 Jan 5 Gn Ps 5 Feb 10 Exod Ps 41 Jan 6 Gn Ps 6 Feb 11 Exod Ps 42 Jan 7 Gn Ps 7 Feb 12 Exod Ps 43 Jan 8 Gn Ps 8 Feb 13 Exod Ps 44 Jan 9 Gn Ps 9 Feb 14 Exod Ps 45 Jan 10 Gn 17 Ps 10 Feb 15 Exod Ps 46 Jan 11 Gn Ps 11 Feb 16 Exod Ps 47 Jan 12 Gn Ps 12 Feb 17 Exod Ps 48 Jan 13 Gn Ps 13 Feb 18 Exod Ps 49 Jan 14 Gn Ps 14 Feb 19 Exod 34 Ps 50 Jan 15 Gn Ps 15 Feb 20 Exod Ps 51 Jan 16 Gn Ps 16 Feb 21 Exod Ps 52 Jan 17 Gn Ps 17 Feb 22 Exod 39 Ps 53 Jan 18 Gn Ps 18 Feb 23 Exod 40 Ps 54 Jan 19 Gn Ps 19 Feb 24 Catch-up day Ps 55 Jan 20 Gn Ps 20 Feb 25 Catch-up day Ps 56 Jan 21 Gn Ps 21 Feb 26 Lev 1-2 Ps 57 Jan 22 Gn Ps 22 Feb 27 Lev 3 Ps 58 Jan 23 Gn Ps 23 Feb 28 Lev Ps 59 Jan 24 Gn Ps 24 Mar 1 Lev Ps 60 Jan 25 Gn Ps 25 Mar 2 Lev Ps 61 Jan 26 Gn Ps 26 Mar 3 Lev 8-9 Ps 62 Jan 27 Gn Ps 27 Mar 4 Lev 10 Ps 63 Jan 28 Gn Ps 28 Mar 5 Lev Ps 64 Jan 29 Gn Ps 29 Mar 6 Lev Ps 65 Jan 30 Catch-up day Ps 30 Mar 7 Lev Ps 66 Jan 31 Catch-up day Ps 31 Mar 8 Lev Ps 67 Feb 1 Exod 1-2 Ps 32 Mar 9 Lev Ps 68 Feb 2 Exod 3-4 Ps 33 Mar 10 Lev Ps 69 Feb 3 Exod Ps 34 Mar 11 Lev Ps 70 Feb 4 Exod Ps 35 Mar 12 Lev Ps 71 Feb 5 Exod Ps 36 Mar 13 Lev 26 Ps 72

8 6 TWO-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN Mar 14 Lev 27 Ps 73 Apr 28 Catch-up day Ps 118

9 Stephen Witmer 7 June 12 1 Sa Prv 12 July 27 2 Kgs 7-8 Ps 22 June 13 1 Sam Prv 13 July 28 2 Kgs 9-10 Ps 23 June 14 1 Sam Prv 14 July 29 2 Kgs Ps 24 June 15 1 Sam Prv July 30 2 Kgs Ps 25 June 16 1 Sam Pr July 31 2 Kgs Ps 26 June 17 1 Sam Prv 16 Aug 1 2 Kgs 17 Ps 27 June 18 1 Sam Prv 17 Aug 2 2 Kgs 18 Ps 28 June 19 1 Sam Prv 18 Aug 3 2 Kgs Ps 29 June 20 1 Sam Prv 19 Aug 4 2 Kgs 21 Ps 30 June 21 Catch-up day Prv 20 Aug 5 2 Kgs Ps 31 June 22 Catch-up day Prv 21 Aug 6 2 Kg Ps 32 June 23 2 Sam 1-2 Prv Aug 7 Catch-up day Ps 33 June 24 2 Sam 3-4 Pr Aug 8 Catch-up day Ps 34 June 25 2 Sam 5-7 Prv 23 Aug 9 1 Chr 1-2 Ps 35 June 26 2 Sam 8-9 Pr Aug 10 1 Chr 3-4 Ps 36 June 27 2 Sam Pr Aug 11 1 Chr 5-6 Ps 37 June 28 2 Sam 12 Prov 25 Aug 12 1 Chr 7-8 Ps 38 June 29 2 Sam Prov 26 Aug 13 1 Chr 9 Ps 39 June 30 2 Sam Prov 27 Aug 14 1 Chr 10 Ps 40 July 1 2 Sam Prov 28 Aug 15 1 Chr Ps 41 July 2 2 Sam Prov 29 Aug 16 1 Chr Ps 42 July 3 2 Sam 21 Prov 30 Aug 17 1 Chr Ps 43 July 4 2 Sam Pr Aug 18 1 Chr 17 Ps 44 July 5 2 Sam Pr Aug 19 1 Chr Ps 45 July 6 2 Sam 24 Ps 1 Aug 20 1 Chr Ps 46 July 7 Catch-up day Ps 2 Aug 21 1 Chr Ps 47 July 8 Catch-up day Ps 3 Aug 22 1 Chr Ps 48 July 9 1 Kgs 1-2 Ps 4 Aug 23 1 Chr Ps 49 July 10 1 Kgs 3-4 Ps 5 Aug 24 1 Chr Ps 50 July 11 1 Kgs 5-6 Ps 6 Aug 25 1 Chr 29 Ps 51 July 12 1 Kgs 7 Ps 7 Aug 26 Catch-up day Ps 52 July 13 1 Kgs 8-9 Ps 8 Aug 27 Catch-up day Ps 53 July 14 1 Kgs Ps 9 Aug 28 2 Chr 1-2 Ps 54 July 15 1 Kgs Ps 10 Aug 29 2 Chr Ps 55 July 16 1 Kgs 14 Ps 11 Aug 30 2 Chr Ps 56 July 17 1 Kgs Ps 12 Aug 31 2 Chr 7 Ps 57 July 18 1 K Ps 13 Sept 1 2 Chr 8 Ps 58 July 19 1 Kgs Ps 14 Sept 2 2 Chr 9 Ps 59 July 20 1 Kgs Ps 15 Sept 3 2 Chr Ps 60 July 21 1 Kgs 22 Ps 16 Sept 4 2 Chr 13 Ps 61 July 22 Catch-up day Ps 17 Sept 5 2 Chr Ps 62 July 23 Catch-up day Ps 18 Sept 6 2 Chr Ps 63 July 24 2 Kgs 1-2 Ps 19 Sept 7 2 Chr Ps 64 July 25 2 Kgs 3-4 Ps 20 Sept 8 2 Chr Ps 65 July 26 2 Kgs 5-6 Ps 21 Sept 9 2 Chr Ps 66

10 8 TWO-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

11 Stephen Witmer 9 Dec 9 Isa Pr Jan 22 Jer Ps 15 Dec 10 Isa Pr Jan 23 Jer 20 Ps 16 Dec 11 Isa Pr Jan 24 Jer Ps 17 Dec 12 Isa Pr Jan 25 Jer Ps 18 Dec 13 Isa Prv 10 Jan 26 Jer 25 Ps 19 Dec 14 Isa Prv 11 Jan 27 Jer 26 Ps 20 Dec 15 Isa Prv 12 Jan 28 Jer Ps 21 Dec 16 Isa Prv 13 Jan 29 Jer 29 Ps 22 Dec 17 Isa Prv 14 Jan 30 Jer Ps 23 Dec 18 Isa Prv Jan 31 Jer Ps 24 Dec 19 Isa Pr Feb 1 Jer Ps 25 Dec 20 Isa Prv 16 Feb 2 Jer 36 Ps 26 Dec 21 Isa Prv 17 Feb 3 Jer Ps 27 Dec 22 Isa Prv 18 Feb 4 Jer Ps 28 Dec 23 Isa Prv 19 Feb 5 Jer Ps 29 Dec 24 Isa Prv 20 Feb 6 Jer Ps 30 Dec 25 Isa Prv 21 Feb 7 Jer 46 Ps 31 Dec 26 Isa Prv Feb 8 Jer Ps 32 Dec 27 Isa Pr Feb 9 Jer 49 Ps 33 Dec 28 Isa 48 Prv 23 Feb 10 Jer 50 Ps 34 Dec 29 Isa Pr Feb 11 Jer 51 Ps 35 Dec 30 Isa Pr Feb 12 Jer 52 Ps 36 Dec 31 Isa Prov 25 Feb 13 Catch-up day Ps 37 YEAR Feb 14 Catch-up day Ps 38 Jan 1 Isa Prov 26 Feb 15 Lam 1 Ps 39 Jan 2 Isa Prov 27 Feb 16 Lam 2 Ps 40 Jan 3 Isa Prov 28 Feb 17 Lam 3 Ps 41 Jan 4 Isa Prov 29 Feb 18 Lam 4 Ps 42 Jan5 Isa Prov 30 Feb 19 Lam 5 Ps 43 Jan 6 Isa Pr Feb 20 Catch-up day Ps 44 Jan 7 Isa Pr Feb 21 Catch-up day Ps 45 Jan 8 Isa Ps 1 Feb 22 Ez 1 Ps 46 Jan 9 Catch-up day Ps 2 Feb 23 Ez 2-3 Ps 47 Jan 10 Catch-up day Ps 3 Feb 24 Ez 4-5 Ps 48 Jan 11 Jer 1 Ps 4 Feb 25 Ez 6-7 Ps 49 Jan 12 Jer Ps 5 Feb 26 Ez 8 Ps 50 Jan 13 Jer Ps 6 Feb 27 Ez 9-10 Ps 51 Jan 14 Jer Ps 7 Feb 28 Ez Ps 52 Jan 15 Jer 6 Ps 8 Mar 1 Ez Ps 53 Jan 16 Jer Ps 9 Mar 2 Ez 14 Ps 54 Jan 17 Jer Ps 10 Mar 3 Ez Ps 55 Jan 18 Jer Ps 11 Mar 4 Ez Ps 56 Jan 19 Jer 13 Ps 12 Mar 5 Ez 19 Ps 57 Jan 20 Jer Ps 13 Mar 6 Ez 20 Ps 58 Jan 21 Jer Ps 14 Mar 7 Ez Ps 59

12 10 TWO-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN Mar 8 Ez Ps 60 Apr 22 Amos 7 Ps 105

13 Stephen Witmer 11 June 6 Mark Ps 150 July 21 John Ps 9 June 7 Mark Prv July 22 John Ps 10 June 8 Mark a Pr July 23 John 11 Ps 11 June 9 Mark 6.6b-8.21 Pr July 24 John Ps 12 June 10 Mark Pr July 25 John Ps 13 June 11 Mark Pr July 26 John 13 Ps 14 June 12 Mk P July 27 John Ps 15 June 13 Mk Pr July 28 John 16 Ps 16 June 14 Mk Pr July 29 John 17 Ps 17 June 15 Mark 14 Pr July 30 John 18 Ps 18 June 16 Mark 15 Pr July 31 John 19 Ps 19 June 17 Mark Prv 10 Aug 1 John 20 Ps 20 June 18 Catch-up day Prv 11 Aug 2 John 21 Ps 21 June 19 Catch-up day Prv 12 Aug 3 Catch-up day Ps 22 June 20 Luke 1 Prv 13 Aug 4 Catch-up day Ps 23 June 21 Luke 2 Prv 14 Aug 5 Acts 1 Ps 24 June 22 Luke Prv Aug 6 Acts 2 Ps 25 June 23 Luke Pr Aug 7 Acts 3-4 Ps 26 June 24 Luke Prv 16 Aug 8 Acts Ps 27 June 25 Luke Prv 17 Aug 9 Acts Ps 28 June 26 Luke 7 Prv 18 Aug 10 Acts Ps 29 June 27 Luke 8 Prv 19 Aug 11 Acts Ps 30 June 28 Luke Prv 20 Aug 12 Acts Ps 31 June 29 Luke Prv 21 Aug 13 Acts Ps 32 June 30 Luke Prv Aug 14 Acts Ps 33 July 1 Luke Pr Aug 15 Acts Ps 34 July 2 Luke Prv 23 Aug 16 Acts Ps 35 July 3 Luke Pr Aug 17 Acts Ps 36 July 4 Luke Pr Aug 18 Acts Ps 37 July 5 Lk Prov 25 Aug 19 Acts Ps 38 July 6 Lk Prov 26 Aug 20 Acts Ps 39 July 7 Lk Prov 27 Aug 21 Acts Ps 40 July 8 Luke 22 Prov 28 Aug 22 Acts Ps 41 July 9 Luke 23 Prov 29 Aug 23 Catch-up day Ps 42 July 10 Luke 24 Prov 30 Aug 24 Catch-up day Ps 43 July 11 Catch-up day Pr Aug 25 Rom Ps 44 July 12 Catch-up day Pr Aug 26 Rom Ps 45 July 13 John Ps 1 Aug 27 Rom 3 Ps 46 July 14 John Ps 2 Aug 28 Rom Ps 47 July 15 John Ps 3 Aug 29 Rom Ps 48 July 16 John 4 Ps 4 Aug 30 Rom Ps 49 July 17 John 5 Ps 5 Aug 31 Rom Ps 50 July 18 John 6 Ps 6 Sept 1 Rom Ps 51 July 19 John 7 Ps 7 Sept 2 Rom Ps 52 July 20 John 8 Ps 8 Sept 3 Rom 11 Ps 53

14 12 TWO-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN Rom Ps 54 1 Thess Ps 99

15 Stephen Witmer 13 Dec 3 2 Pet 3 Ps 144 Dec 18 Rev 4-5 Prv Dec 4 Catch-up day Ps 145 Dec 19 Rev 6 Prv Dec 5 1 Jn Ps 146 Dec 20 Rev Prv Dec 6 1 Jn Ps 147 Dec 21 Rev Prv Dec 7 1 Jn Ps 148 Dec 22 Rev Prv Dec 8 1 Jn 4 Ps 149 Dec 23 Rev 12 Prv Dec 9 1 Jn 5 Ps 150 Dec 24 Rev 13 Prov 24 Dec 10 2 John Prov 1-2 Dec 25 Rev 14 Prov 25 Dec 11 3 John Prov 3-4 Dec 26 Rev Prov 26 Dec 12 Jude Prov 5-6 Dec 27 Rev 17 Prov 27 Dec 13 Catch-up day Prov 7-8 Dec 28 Rev Prov 28 Dec 14 Rev Prov 9 Dec 29 Rev Prov 29 Dec 15 Rev Prov Dec 30 Rev Prov 30 Dec 16 Rev 2 Prov Dec 31 Rev Prov 31 Dec 17 Rev 3 Prov 14

16 MUNICH INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY CHURCH Steve Henderson, Pastor Sunday Worship Services at 3:30 pm Mozartstraße 12 U3/U6 Goetheplatz